On View

Gandharan

Head of Buddha Shakyamuni

The earliest images of Buddha are found in modern-day Pakistan at sites along ancient trade routes. The region once known as Gandhara was familiar to the Greeks as early as the fourth century BCE. Traces of their influence are visible in the classicizing features of this head of Buddha (top), combined with all the traditional attributes of Buddha—the skull protuberance, the spot or tuft of hairs between the eyebrows, and the elongated earlobes of ancient Indian nobility. The simplified and youthful facial features and the coiled knots of hair are typical of Gandharan representations. This head would probably have been sculpted for a full-length, approximately life-size robed statue. There is evidence that the nimbus originally appearing around the head has been removed.

This head was made in Gandhara, a cosmopolitan crossroads that spanned parts of what are now Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwestern India. The hair and the highly idealized face with large eyes show the strong influence of Classical sculpture, a testament to stylistic and cultural exchanges between Asia and the West along the Silk Road.

In the 19th century, Gandharan art became widely sought after by Western collectors drawn to its resemblance to ancient Greek and Roman works. The records for the Gandharan archaeological digs were poorly kept, and this sculpture’s original location is now unknown, although it was likely part of a life-size figure.